Undergraduate Student Government Tempe President Mason DoVico is facing potential USG Supreme Court action and impeachment following his dismissal of Chief of Staff Cayla Kirschbaum on Jan. 24.
According to screenshots of emails sent to The State Press, Kirschbaum said she was removed from her position in an act of "retaliation" after she confronted DoVico about alleged misconduct.
"The accusations brought against me are not only unfounded but serve as a transparent attempt to undermine the progress and initiatives my administration has achieved," DoVico wrote in a detailed memorandum on Jan. 28.
READ MORE: USG-T President DoVico responds to claims of alleged misconduct
Kirschbaum said an investigation is being carried out by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities over the allegations. ASU officials did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
"Even more alarming, Mr. DoVico has admitted that his decision to fire me came after I confronted him about his sexually inappropriate comments and actions," Kirschbaum wrote in an email to USG-T that was obtained by The State Press.
In a call with The State Press, Kirschbaum said she had spoken with DoVico numerous times since December about concerns she had with the environment of USG-T.
"On my personal end, I experienced a lot of harassment, retaliation, unprofessionalism, a sexually-charged environment from Mr. DoVico and not only myself, but many others in this organization," Kirschbaum said to The State Press.
Along with the University investigation, Hayden Darst, a W.P. Carey senator and the USG-T chairman of the University Affairs committee, emailed USG-T members and administration to inform them of his "intent to pursue Supreme Court action and potential Articles of Impeachment against President Mason DoVico," according to an email obtained by The State Press from Jan. 27. Darst declined comment.
Darst continued in the email, "This decision is based on recent actions taken by the President, including the wrongful and unconstitutional termination of Chief of Staff Kirschbaum following her filing of allegations including but not limited to sexual misconduct, harassment, creating a hostile work environment, etc."
According to the Constitution of the Undergraduate Student Government in Article II Section 5, "A Chief of Staff for the executive officers of each campus shall aid and support the executive officers in their respective roles, and shall serve only at the discretion of the respective USG President."
Around half an hour after his email, Darst sent a follow-up to clarify the actions being pursued. In the email, he said they "do not have jurisdiction to rule on allegations of misconduct, harassment, or other related claims" and will only be seeking action based "solely on the fact that President Mason DoVico has been accused of misconduct and subsequently terminated Chief of Staff Kirschbaum in response."
A USG-T impeachment is defined in Article 11 of the USG-T Bylaws, stating that the USG-T president will be given the choice to resign before the Articles of Impeachment will be brought. After the opportunity of resigning, a majority vote by the USG-T Senate will decide the charge of impeachment.
James Driscoll, a senator from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, challenged Darst's view on the impeachment in an email to USG-T on Jan. 27 and said USG-T cannot proceed with impeachment because the University has not completed its investigation.
"Until a more competent authority makes this decision, I urge Senator Darst to withdraw his support for impeachment," Driscoll wrote in an email obtained by The State Press. "There appears no reason to instigate Articles of Impeachment nor to halt the nomination of Ms. Kirschbuam's successor. Such measures would stop the efficient operation of government." Driscoll declined comment.
In an email obtained by The State Press, DoVico said he will announce his nomination for a new chief of staff 24-to-48 hours before the next official Senate session.
The next USG-T Senate session is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Kirschbaum said for students who "feel like they're experiencing situations similar to mine, I hear you, I see you and we will ensure that our voices are heard. We want to make sure that positive change is enacted to make sure that this doesn't happen to any student in the future."
Editor's note: This story was updated at 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 28 to include a statement from USG-T President Mason DoVico regarding the allegations made about his conduct.
This story is developing and may be updated.
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Braccio, Alexis Heichman and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at alysa.horton@gmail.com and follow @alysa_horton on X.
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Alysa is a senior studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in political science. This is her fifth semester with The State Press. She has also worked at The Arizona Republic.
